Palin: Energy Conservation & Independence

Now that you have returned to Alaska and resume work as Governor, I thank you for all the hard work and resilience you have demonstrated as our VP candidate. Please take the next few months off to relax, unwind, and enjoy the holidays. But come the New Year I hope you will take some time to consider whether you want to return to national politics. I like millions others hope you will. Toward this hope I have a few thoughts to share should you are interested.

Firstly, govern well. By that I mean take good care of the people of Alaska especially as we as a nation enter difficult times. In doing so, I hope you will be attentive to political principles that work and those that do not. I hope some of the principles you find productive would include principles many conservatives and Republicans are fond of, including conservative fiscal policy, small government footprint in American lives, fair economic opportunities for employers and employees, the promotion of a culture of personal responsibility in and out of government, and the continued recognition that a strong nation requires preservation of traditional families.

Secondly, consider forming a political action committee (or a 527) for Energy Conservation and Independence. On the most basic level, this will allow continued involvement nationally on a topic that touches all American lives. Locally energy conservation means exploring “green” renewable energy sources, thus providing credentials on environmentalism. Such an organization will also provide the opportunity to become an expert on a vital topic that spans and binds the international community. There are global energy exporters who are America’s friends (Canada, Mexico, Norway), foes (Iran, Russia, Venezuela) and associates in between (Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East). How these nations energy income has affected their influence regionally and globally? There are also net energy importers like China, Japan, and India. How will the competition for energy affect their relationship with the US, both as current competitors and as potential collaborators? As part of the organization’s activities, conduct fact-finding trips over sea. Once there see first hand how, in addition to energy economic, nationalism and religious ideologies are driving these nation motives and actions.

Thirdly, with the accumulated experience gained, hone and refine a philosophy of governance and politics. The best philosophy is one easily understood and readily appealing to the public (your base, the independents, as well as the opposition) of Middle America as a whole. It should also be well supported by a record of evidence that the intellectuals would and should appreciate. Maybe write a book providing how your vision and philosophy could positively transform America.

Fourthly, build political alliances. Identify candidates for political offices nationwide, red states and blue states, you respect and agree with. Through you political action committee provide energy expertise, campaign support, or even personal appearances and endorsement. But even more importantly cultivate and maintain contact with the rank and file who remain excited about your potential candidacy. These regular folks, me included, love you because we feel you are one of us and speak for us. We will certainly need to be organized and rallied to provide the ground game for any national campaign for you when the time comes.

Finally, contemplate why and how you appeal to the base as well as why so many on the left have become deranged over you. Accentuate your positives and attenuate your negatives but always remain true to yourself, and those who believe in you.

I think she should also become the face and voice of working women and pro-life oriented women’s rights. She made great comments on that during the Greta interview. Mostly she needs to make herself a viable candidate in 2012. Right now outside the conservative movement she is not well received, but that can be changed if she becomes the spokes person for some major issues such as you suggested in energy/conservation issues because they are also economic and national security issues. She needs to spend some time over the next two years doing the Sunday shows as a spokesperson for the energy issues. She has 2 years to develop the gravitas(I hate that word)necessary to capture the white, college educated professional voting block. Without it we do not win nationally and she is not high on their list right now. She has a steep hill to climb to change the image many have of her, but it can be done.

Lastly I would recommend she work with a speech coach. She is a great natural speaker but she needs to tweak her delivery just a little to give more of the Lady Thatcher/ Amb. Kirkpatrick earnestness and command. Often times it is not what you say, but how it is said that makes the difference and by that I mean tonal quality. Not making a comparison here, but Hitler was a pretty weak speaker early on, and someone pretty much dismissed by the middle class in Germany. However, with the help of speech coaching and a lot of work he became a man that moved a nation. Think how well OBama moved people by saying nothing, but saying it so well. Just think how Sarah could move people with her message and a better delivery.

Neither am I. I am not talking about her basic delivery I am talking about her speech structure. She uses the word also or too in almost every sentence. Her speaking style often times sounds a little more PTA mom than major national government figure. I am thinking of people like BJC, the Huck and Fred. They are very homespun in their deliveries, but they still have sufficient gravitas(there is that word again) to their voice to make them sound like someone you trust to run things. She should send some time with Jerri Thompson and Lady De Rothschild. They are both very well spoken accomplished sounding women who can also present the issues in an easy to understand manner.

All I am saying is that we have a real diamond in the rough here. The woman is a winner and actually she sounded much better in her interview with Greta and in pre-nomination interviews with Maria Bartalomo and Larry Kudlow than I ever heard her on the stump, so maybe some of it was handling by the McCain people. Bottom line She connects with a lot of people and has a real common sense understanding of things. With just a little tweaking and polishing she can win over a lot more of those moderate conservatives that everyone on here trashes, but who win elections for you nationally. Don’t change the message just polish up the delivery a little. Theses people are used to working with professional women everyday. They do not have a problem with intelligent, competent women leaders and bosses, she needs to place herself in that role as a successful, articulate governor and spokesperson for family and pocketbook issues. Being a conservative doesn’t mean you have to talk like a redneck(which I proudly consider myself to be, though an articulate one) and being well spoken doesn’t make you a RINO. It is the message and how well you present it that counts.

I agree with every bit of this. Her model should be Ronald Reagan 1976, and she started on that path already by giving the most noteworthy and exciting speech of the convention. However, I DO NOT want to see her unchallenged! We have other young talent out there, if we can just avoid our usual circular firing squad mentality.

We need some unshakable basic principles, certainly including the life issue. But some republicans also oppose the death penalty on principled grounds - and I support their right to do so. Some support free trade, while others support protecting American jobs - where is the proper balance point? I am tired of those who issue RINO warnings for the slightest deviation from their own notion of rightward political correctness - a “crime” Ronald Reagan would have condemned without question.

The more I consider it, the more I believe that Newt Gingrich is the right choice for head of the RNC. While he has far too much personal baggage for elective office, he is articulate, forceful, and a real source of ideas and strategy that we really need, even if he is part of the generation - but NOT the group! - that led us into the mess we have now.

We NEED to re-state our principles in bold terms, and to develop and articulate programs to support those principles and correct the current state of affairs. The best we have of this today is Gingrich’s “American Solutions”, and I think this is what gives him first claim on the RNC at this time. It’s not perfect, but where is something better?

The young conservatives should follow the “outside Washington” route, to avoid being contaminated by the business as usual corruption of that city. Some might get through it unscathed, but most do not - and it ALWAYS provides ammunition for the opposition. I just hope we don’t start using it against our own....

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